Spirit of the Guardian Ninja
by Winged Dragon Ra
Summary: AU. NarutoFFX Xover. With Orochimaru as sin's summoner, Rin and her guardians may not stand a chance. However, her guardian Naruto may just be the key to destroying sin forever. Will a bond between friends lead Rin to receive her strongest aeon?
1. That fated mission

Author's Note: Wow, it's been so long since I've written fanfiction. My other stories were all written when I was in junior high, and now I've just graduated from high school P . Please forgive me if my language and writing style is a bit, uh, too in depth, I just went through an AP English class and I can't get out of "look as intelligent as you can in your writing" mode. I ripped the storyline from Final Fantasy X, but tweaked it to fit Naruto, so obviously a bunch of stuff will be changed. I hope it's to everyone's liking. Just know one thing, the summoner will NOT be an original character/mary sue, I really am against those for the most part, she will be someone that is not necessarily well known, but is a Naruto character. That's all I'm telling for now P . Also, it took me forever to figure it out, but Sasuke will eventually appear in the story, so don't fret because he's not in there now.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, nor the plotline of summoners and sin, just the words that bind them together -

It's been fifty years. It's been fifty years since that hideous creature first emerged from the darkest corners of the earth. The monstrosity was punishment for humanity's arrogance and selfish nature. For far too long man had placed value in money and physical power, not in their morals or beliefs. Their spirits had been neglected and this crime was punished with the appearance of a horrible, rampaging beast that showed no mercy toward humans and desolated anything in its path. They called this beast sin.

The earth only has one hope; people with immense spiritual power have risen to fight against sin. These people, deemed summoners, have the abilities to summon the bonds they had formed with the deceased as powerful entities, aeons. The summoners must make a pilgrimage throughout the many lands and gather as many aeons as they are able too and eventually make it to the exiled lands, where sin first emerged. There, the summoner will receive the final aeon to fulfill their destiny and defeat sin. Unfortunately, every ten years after being defeated by a summoner, sin will return only to be the challenge of another summoner.

However, the summoner cannot make this journey alone; they require the protection of loyal guardians. Those who would risk their lives for the sake of the summoner and their journey, that is what a summoner needs for their long journey. For this purpose, many of the ninjas of the lands have put aside their other clients and duties and have trained specifically to protect summoners. The village hidden in the leaves is one such village where these ninja reside, and that is where this story begins…

**Spirit of the Guardian Ninja- Chapter One**

That Destined Assignment

Sakura had wondered the fields all afternoon. Somehow the sight of all of those tulips and dafodils had calmed her. They made her remember the old times, back when everything was simple and everyone could be together. She had no worries back when she was a child. 10 years ago…she was just six years old, Ino was her best friend, she thought boys were disgusting, and she believed sin to be a fairytale made up by some cruel mother to keep her children from wondering to far from home. Things had changed so much since then. She let the smell of flowers fill her troubled soul while the light breeze touched her cheek.

It wasn't just Sasuke that she was worried about anymore, it was everything. Sasuke was gone and she might not ever see him again, she knew that, but everyone else was doing their part to fight sin, and she felt as though she was of no help at all. Even Ino, the one she hated and despised in their savage attempts to win over Sasuke, had become a summoner, her guardians being her teammates, Choji and Shikamaru. Sakura remembered how the village had commended her for possessing such incredible spiritual capabilities. Her father was so proud, he had almost begged Tsunade to become one of her guardians, but with no success. Tsunade encouraged Ino to break away from her parents and that this separation would create more self reliance and strength. So Ino had left just last week with her two guardians and left the village of her childhood, perhaps never to return. Sakura had wanted to perhaps congratulate her, or tell her good luck with her pilgrimage, but she found it impossible for her…Ino was a friend in the past, a past which was torn apart by rivalry.

The streets were unusually quiet today. Only a few people littered the streets as she slowly entered the town on the way to the hokage's dwelling. Of course she knew that this was probably because of the many ninja that were recently sent out to guard the summoners or that had become summoners themselves, such as Ino. Just a handful were left and the rest were just average citizens of Konoha. She squinted as the blaring sunlight shined down upon her. She didn't know if she was quite ready for this assignment…to finally be assigned to a summoner. Tsunade had trained her hard for months on end, teaching her how to become a specialized healing ninja. Useful abilities for such a long journey. If Tsunade felt that she was ready, then Sakura thought that she should have more confidence in herself, if not for her sake, then her summoner's sake.

For some reason each step she took on those stairs to the hokage's office seemed like such a burden. It was as though each step she took, she was fighting against herself. 'Just nervous…' she told herself, 'this mission is important, my most important…'. Her mouth was so dry that she didn't know if she would be able to speak once she reached the Tsunade. Slowly she opened the door and cringed at the sound of the creaking door. Instantly her nervousness disappeared as the grinning face of Naruto came into view.

"Hey Sakura, you're getting the same mission as me, eh?" He chided "Looks like we'll be guarding over the same summoner!"

She couldn't help, Naruto made her temper flare like no other , "Naruto, this isn't some game, this is an important mission!"

Before Naruto could even reply, Tsunade cut in "Both of you, this is no time to argue, you both have the same mission and must cooperate and help each other".

Naruto and Sakura both closed their mouths without so much as a glance at one another, Tsunade smiled at her accomplishment, "Now, that's better…let's get to business."

She began, "I know you two believe yourselves to be strong enough to handle guardianship on your own, but I am not of this belief…you need another hand, and that is why your sensei, Kakashi Hatake, will be accompanying you on this pilgrimage." She sighed, "I had hoped he wouldn't be late for this…"

"Well, it's not like this isn't like him…" Naruto frowned as he remembered that Jiraya's latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise had been released to bookshelves.

"Where exactly is our summoner?" Sakura questioned, looking around.

"Oh!" Shizune spoke up from Tsunade's side, "She'll be arriving shortly, she had to travel from the land of the mist first."

"So hopefully Kakashi will arrive soon…" Tsunade trailed off.

A part of Sakura wanted to speak up to Tsunade, to tell her that she wasn't ready for this job, that she wasn't ready to leave her childhood completely behind. However, she knew that Tsunade would hear nothing of it. All of her peers had attended to their own individual duties in the fight against sin, and it was her turn. Still, her mind was troubled and nothing could put it at ease.

"Uhhh…Sakura, is something bothering you?" Naruto, who had apparently crept close to her while she burdened with her thoughts, gazed questioningly into her eyes."

"Na-"Sakura was interrupted with the creaking of the hokage's door.

"Looks like I'm a bit late" Kakashi chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck slowly, "But better late than never."

"Well, at least you're here before she arrived" Tsunade spoke, "she'll be here at anytime now, so make yourselves comfortable, you'll meet tonight and leave at dawn tomorrow."

The three had no idea of who their summoner was to be or anything about her, yet they were to guard her with their lives. Such was the way of the ninja, and they were quite used to it. However, they would be spending a great deal of time with this woman, whoever she was, so perhaps it was a good idea to meet her first and then begin their journey. Even if it was just for a night, learning a little about her was better than knowing nothing at all…who knew how long they'd be traveling together as her guardians.

A/N: Sorry this first chapter was so short, it will be longer next time, this was just a chapter to get the story going -


	2. Reunion

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to review my story, and even to those who just read it, so far. I think I've decided how the story is going to go for the most part, so I won't get stuck in the middle of it and end up quitting altogether. Whether it is to your delight or dismay, I have also found a spot for Itachi in the story as well…

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters at all whatsoever, they're just fun to play with.

Spirit of the Guardian Ninja

Chapter 2: Reunion

They were to meet in just a few short hours, the summoner and her guardians. Sakura and Naruto had probably gone home to get ready and prepare for this meeting, but Kakashi just lingered in the streets of Konoha. He watched the pink and purple shades of cloud mesh into one another; the air was becoming rather chilling for the evening, even through his thick uniform. He folded his arms across his chest for warmth.

'Why her?' Kakashi wondered, looking into the evening sky, 'why did I have to be her guardian?'

Indeed, he had asked Tsunade the same question as soon as Sakura and Naruto had left the room. He felt as though this was a joke that Tsunade had decided to play on him at first, when she revealed to him who the summoner was to be. However, Tsunade had convinced him otherwise, telling him that Naruto and Sakura could not handle this mission alone, that the summoner's spiritual powers were far greater than any other she'd seen; their pilgrimage would be filled with peril and great obstacles.

He hadn't been much in the mood lately to read that new volume of Icha Icha Paradise that he had purchased, that's how he knew that this mission was truly bothering him. No, the volume lay tucked away in his pocket, the bookmark placed between pages five and six, as it had been for the last week. It was as though his past had come back to him, a past that he was perfectly happy forgetting. He was a completely different person now, different from how it was back then when he was but a chunin. However, he couldn't just refuse the mission that the hokage had given to him, and he couldn't let down Naruto and Sakura, his own students.

'Why did she have to become a summoner?' Kakashi thought, 'This will be so difficult.'

Regardless of it being chilly outside or not, Konoha was beautiful at night. The many lights of the village would illuminate the night sky, like fireflies. The village wasn't what it used to be, with less and less people bustling around in the streets, but Kakashi did feel a bit of remorse at going to leave it for so long; he had no idea when he was to return. Unfortunately, Kakashi's moment of peaceful observation was invaded by Naruto, on his way to the place where they were to meet their summoner.

"Hey, Kakashi sensei!" Naruto shouted, making his way over to him "I'm glad I ran into you, I forgot the way to the place!"

"Oh…" Kakashi turned to him, a bit startled, "I suppose we should head there now, it's on the other end of town."

The two began treading through the lonely, open streets of Konoha as the sun had just left the sky to be replaced with the moon. The air was still, and there was no noise to be heard from anywhere. Time seemed to have stopped for the moment. Naruto couldn't help but notice that Kakashi was troubled.

"Wow, both you and Sakura seem really bothered by this mission, what's the big deal?" Naruto spoke, "We just gotta guard the summoner and then defeat that sin monster, and then come back"

Kakashi laughed half-heartedly, "Naruto, if only things were as simple as you put them, but you'll learn as we travel I suppose…"

Naruto just sighed ,"I wish I knew what everyone is so worked up about…" he muttered.

For around fifteen minutes the two walked through the village silently, both anxious to meet the summoner in their own ways. It was by mere chance that they ran into Sakura, who was on her way to the rendezvous point as well.

"Sakura!" Naruto waved his hand in the air, "we're back here, wait for us!"

Sakura spun around to meet the two, she seemed to have a nervous air as well, her hands a little shaky. Together, the three finally set out to meet their summoner, the one that they would be guarding throughout the ends of the earth. From there it was just a short walk up to their designated meeting place, a small ramen bar.

"Well, here we are," Kakashi announced.

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, running ahead, "this makes things much better!"

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura rushed to follow him, "we need to make a good first impression!"

Kakashi didn't make an effort to stop them, he just remained at his steady pace; he wanted to make this moment last, the last moment before his life changed forever, and his past became his present and future. He paused a moment before opening the thin flap that was the entrance to the ramen shop and then slowly entered.

Naruto and Sakura were already sitting down with her at the bar, introducing themselves and looking rather cheery. The four of them were the only ones in the bar, aside from the absent minded chef who had just retreated to the back room. Kakashi had to stand there a moment until Naruto finally turned away from his bowl to spout, mouth full of ramen, "Oh, Kakashi sensei!".

The woman turned away from her bowl as well, and dropped her chopsticks to the ground at the sight of Kakashi, "Kakashi…"

Kakashi bowed his head, "Hello, Rin, it's been a long time."

"Y-yes, it has" She replied, trying to compose herself, "I can't believe you're going to be my guardian, not that I'm not honored-or anything".

"Kakashi sensei, you know her already?" Sakura questioned.

"Why yes, we were teammates long ago" Kakashi smiled, seating himself beside them.

He took two pairs of chopsticks out and handed a pair to Rin, who gently took them from his hand. By the time all of the introductions and meal were finished, Rin was ready to reminisce about the past, _their _past, much to Kakashi's distaste.

"Kakashi…you've changed so much, I can't believe it!" Rin was in awe, "How is…your sharingan doing?"

"She knows about the sharingan?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Of course I'm the one who put it in," Rin smiled.

Kakashi suddenly rose from the table, "I'm….going to take a breath of fresh air, it's rather humid in here."

His two students just sat, stunned, at the table, not understanding why Kakashi was acting how he was. However, Rin decided to pursue him out of the cramped building.

"Kakashi…I'm sorry if you don't want to remember…" she trailed off, "It's just, when I see you, I remember those days with us…Obito, and sensei, I wanted to talk about them once more, to remember them…"

"But…I don't, Rin" Kakashi answered, his back still turned to her, "It will only make this mission harder; I want to stay purely professional, as your guardian."

"I see" Rin answered, bowing slightly, "I didn't mean to upset you."

Naruto and Sakura emerged from the bar just then, to see what was going on between the two. To their dismay, the two remained silent upon their entrance.

Naruto yawned, "Well, I guess I'm going home, where are we meeting tomorrow?"

"We need to meet at the hokage's for some last minute briefing." Kakashi answered.

"Alright…I guess I'll go then too, " Sakura added, "Nice meeting you lady Rin."

Rin smiled and bowed to her guardians, "It was nice meeting all of you, and I'm honored to have you all as my guardians."

"Hey, you too!" Naruto waved,his back turned on his way to his house.

When the two had left, Kakashi and Rin were alone once more. Rin made her way over to him, determined not to upset him again.

"I'm glad to have you as my guardian, even if you choose to just be professional, it eases me…that you'll be accompanying me." She smiled, and turned to leave to the inn that she was staying at for the night.

'and I'm pleased to be your guardian…' Kakashi thought to himself, as he too left to his own home for the night.

'I just had hoped that you'd never become a summoner…'


	3. Leaving Konoha

a/n: Just so ya'll know, nobody is really being portrayed as any of the final fantasy X characters, they are pretty much their own people. The only thing I took from FFX was the concept of sin, summoners, and the fayth. There will be another character tossed in soon anyways that would have thrown everyone's guesses off P Although…Naruto probably is the most important character…

disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, but I wish I did because I like money.

Spirit of the Guardian Ninja

Chapter 3: Leaving Konoha

Sin was attacking Konoha. Naruto heard the frightened screams and shouts escape from the fleeing villagers, as buildings crumpled and fell to the ground. His head pulsated with pain, as if needles were being plunged into his temples. He desperately looked in every direction to find where sin was, but it was nowhere to be seen. In a sudden shock he realized that it was _himself _they were running from. He stretched his arms in front of him and began running towards the frightened people,

"Wait!" he shouted.

"Monster!" The people shouted from every direction, "He's sin!"

"Please…" Naruto pleaded as he began to get dizzy and his consciousness faded away.

Naruto woke with a start. 'It was just a dream…', he convinced himself as he laid his head back down on the soft pillow. He had been having such strange dreams lately; every time was an instance in which he was killing or destroying people and homes. He hated these dreams, and hated to be portrayed as a vicious beast as he had been, ever since he was young.

Naruto had the spirit of the nine tailed fox sealed within him by the fourth hokage, Yondaime. Ever since he was a small child he had been ostracized and judged by the people of Konoha. Nobody had been his friend, nobody by his side until he had become a ninja. Iruka sensei had already become a guardian and was away on a pilgrimage, but his memory remained with Naruto; the first person to ever accept him. He had begun to befriend people since Iruka, but he was indeed the first. Naruto smiled at the memory of his old sensei as he rubbed his eyes, in a sleepy daze.

"Hope I don't have any of those dreams anymore…" He spoke to himself.

"Aaah!" Naruto screamed, looking at the alarm clock seated next to his bed, "It's already noon, I'm gonna be so late!!!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Tsunade sighed, "Well, we can't wait forever for Naruto, so we'll go ahead and begin."

Rin and her two guardians nodded in agreement to the Hokage's decision.

"Have you decided who your first aeon will be?"

"Yes," Rin answered, "My friend that I trained with at the temple, she was killed by sin during her pilgrimage…I'm sure she'd agree to be my aeon."

"Alright then, your temple was located in the mist region, correct?"

"Yes"

"Then that will be your first destination…the mist temple."

"I'm sorry I'm late!" Naruto burst through the doorway, "My alarm didn't go off an-"

"Between you and Kakashi sensei, we'll never be on time anywhere!" Sakura cut him off.

"It's not like it was my fault," Naruto muttered.

"Naruto, Sakura…" Kakashi warned, "Now, don't you think we should get along as Rin's guardians?"

The two remained quiet, obviously in agreement, as Tsunade spoke once more, "You two will have to cooperate through this pilgrimage, or else it could result in you or your summoner's death."

"I-I'm sorry, " Sakura answered, "I'll try to get along better with _him_."

'Like I can avoid her temper…'Naruto thought, keeping his mouth shut.

His hair was ruffled and in disarray with bed hair; he had had no time to comb it. He hadn't taken a shower since the day before last; his frightening nightmares had even kept him from getting the proper amounts of sleep. Naruto was really in no mood to argue.

Tsunade handed an old, folded piece of parchment to Sakura, "Sakura, I will entrust you with this map, take good care of it."

"I will," Sakura nodded, depositing it into the knapsack hanging next to her hip.

"Good luck everyone" Tsunade dismissed them, a smile forming at the edges of her lips.

"Don't worry granny Tsunade, we won't let you down!" Naruto shouted, on his way out the door.

"That team…" Tsunade laughed to Shizune as soon as they had left, "they're really something."

"They sure are lady Tsunade," Shizune smiled.

"I bet you at least 5000 ryu that they fulfill their mission…"

Shizune glared, "Is this really a time to be gambling?!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

It was quite the perfect day to begin a long journey. The sun was out in the sky, yet the clouds shielded it just enough as to where the heat wasn't overbearing. A refreshing breeze blew through the air, a breeze welcomed by the four emerging travelers.

"Goodbye for now, Konoha!" Naruto shouted back at the village as the four exited through the huge wooden gates.

Sakura watched as the towering gates shut, her home disappearing from her vision. She finally realized how real this was; she wouldn't return for a long time, perhaps not ever. She heard the doors being bolted from the other side.

"We should head through the forest, northwest, to reach the mist temple" Rin spoke softly, "It's only a two day's journey."

"Alright then," Kakashi answered, "Naruto, you and I will travel ahead of Rin, and Sakura will travel behind her."

The four organized themselves accordingly and began to walk through the forestry. The forest, while eerie at night, was rather pleasant during the daytime. Rays of light shone through the canopy in spots, illuminating the forest path.

"I'm going to become a great guardian," Naruto declared, "My first step towards becoming the next hokage, you'll tell them how great of a guardian I am, right Rin?"

Rin beamed, "Of course I will Naruto".

The group was quiet as Naruto spoke again, "Why's everyone so quiet…you don't think I'll prove myself?"

"Naruto..."Sakura began, but didn't finish what she was going to say.

"So…explain to me about sin's cycle again?"

"You don't know anything about this mission, do you?" Sakura retorted, "Weren't you listening to Iruka sensei, the day when everyone found out that sin had returned again?"

"Well…not exactly…"

Rin laughed, "It's alright"

"I'll explain," Kakashi cut in, "Sin is defeated and stays gone for 10 years, a time that we call the calm, but is reborn after those ten years."

"But if it's reborn after those years then-"

"Don't say…it isn't worth it." Rin interrupted Naruto, "Every year, every moment that sin isn't destroying lives…is worth it."

Naruto stared blankly at her for a moment, but Rin only smiled as she cocked her head to the side.

They continued on like that for the entire day, never running into any danger. This was to be expected however, a summoner never ran into any danger until they gained power and began to be recognized by people. The pilgrimage could only get harder.

"It's almost night…"Sakura said, solemnly.

"Don't worry, we're near an inn that I stayed at on my way to Konoha," Rin reassured them, "It was a nice place to stay at."

Sure enough, they caught sight of the inn minutes after Rin had spoken those words. The inn was a rather small building, beaten down with time, the shingles rotting and fallen off. The inn was in great disrepair, but luckily had a good side, a hot spring was right next to it.

"Looks like we'll be staying here for the night." Kakashi said to the group as they began heading over the run down building.

A/N: This was kind of a boring chapter to write, just a filler until something interesting happens


	4. The Hot Spring

a/n: I might end up taking down and redoing the last chapter, not sure. This chapter is sure to be more interesting though I think, at least character and story development wise. The action won't start till later, when she gets that first aeon. I'm trying to update as much as I can, because I know when I start college, that will take up most of my time, and I won't be able to update as much.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

Spirit of the Guardian Ninja

Chapter 4: The Hot spring

Sakura had trouble getting to sleep. She heard every single little creek that the old building made, and the eeriness of it all kept her eyes wide open. The hostess was a nice old woman, but the inn didn't seem too nice, with its termite infested walls and dimly lit, cramped rooms. Rin slept in the cot opposite to her own, while Kakashi and Naruto were in the room across the narrow hall.

'I wish I could just go to sleep' Sakura complained, tossing and turning, 'I do feel tired…'

Sakura decided to take a quick glance at Rin, but to her astonishment, as she turned over, she found that the bed was empty.

'Great…', Sakura quickly rose from where she laid and went over to investigate, 'She's not here…'.

Sneaking out of her room, Sakura decided that it was best not to involve anyone else.

'I can handle this on my own,' she determined, as she carefully crept through the hallway to find the set of stairs leading to the first floor. She heard the back door to the inn snap shut, so she began to hurry down the stairs.

'That's the door to the hot spring…' Sakura thought, sliding open the door to find Rin.

"Oh…Sakura, hello" Rin turned towards her, a towel wrapped around her body.

"Rin…what are you doing up so late?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a soak in the spring."

Sakura sighed, "Oh…well, it's dangerous out there, and I'm your guardian…so I guess I'll go with you."

"Alright then" Rin smiled, seeming pleased, as she went outside.

Luckily for Sakura, there were towels hanging right outside the door to the spring, so she simply slid off her clothes and wrapped one of them around her.

'What was she thinking, going out by herself?' Sakura ran her hand through her short, light pink hair, 'She's too reckless…'

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The stars shone brightly in the midnight sky above them as they sat in the spring. The two hardly knew anything about it each other besides their names and a few of their likes and dislikes. The setting was rather awkward with their silence.

"Sorry about Naruto," Sakura suddenly spoke, "He can be a bit…impossible…"

"Oh no need to apologize, Naruto is fine, he reminds me….of someone I used to know long ago…"

"Sakura, you seem upset, is something troubling you?" Rin asked.

"No…I just don't know if I'm fit to be a guardian" she replied, "There's still a lot about sin that I don't know…I mean, I paid attention in class, but I still feel clueless."

Rin could relate to the girl; she felt unsure of herself more often than not, but still she pressed forward, not knowing what the future would hold. She wanted to aid her guardians as much as she wanted them to help her. She had wanted them to be her friends, not just her guardians. That is why Kakashi's words had stung so much; he had refused the friendship that they had formed in the past.

"It's alright, I was told all about sin while I lived at the mist temple, so I can answer just about anything."

"The mist temple?" Sakura asked, "Why not the fire temple…it was closer, if you don't mind asking that is".

"Oh, not at all" Rin answered, "There were…troubles…regarding that temple, the clan who presided over it I mean; I, and all of the summoners, was told to stay away."

"Oh, I see..."

"I remember, the day before I left…he was so upset…" Rin spoke in almost a whisper, peering up at the sky.

"Ummm," Sakura rushed to change the subject, feeling awkward, "What exactly does sin look like anyways, have you ever seen it?"

"I've never seen it, no," Rin said, "but I heard it takes the form that its summoner wanted it to take."

"Sin is…summoned, like an aeon?"

"Yes…ten years after its defeat, sin will look for a summoner to give it power on this earth…but eventually that summoner will not be able to control sin, and it will go on a rampage."

Sakura lowered herself to let the water flood above her neck, 'so it's important that we defeat sin before the summoner loses control of it…but who would summon such a creature?'

Rin shut her eyes as she floated on her back, 'I wanted to be strong like sensei…before he left as Lady Asuna's guardian…I want to prove myself as a summoner…and maybe, I hoped I might see _him _again.'

"Did you ever hear the story of Lord Junichi, the first summoner, Sakura?"

"Yeah, I heard about it growing up, that story about him and his lover, lady Miaka."

"Their bond was so great, that all he needed to do was find her resting place and her spirit was reborn into human form, no fayth needed…".

"…That was just a story though, right?"

Rin gave a small smile, "Yes, I suppose it was."

'I can't depend on stories, can I?' Rin gazed into the stars, 'I have to depend on what is real.'

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"Let's do our best!"

Sakura looked at Rin in a moment of hesitation, "Yes, let's do our best."

Sakura felt at ease now that she knew more about what she had to do. It was nice to have had this conversation with Rin, she felt more like she could talk to her. Whenever she had imagined summoners, she had imagined them to be perfect, spiritual beings, but Rin seemed more like an average person now.

Just as the two began to feel completely relaxed, the door to the spring slid open.

'Have we been discovered?' Sakura wondered, as she heard the footsteps approaching through the steam.

"Why, hello there ladies!" Jiraya greeted them, with his hand in the air.

Sakura's jaw just dropped open, "W-what are you doing here?"

"On my way back to Konoha, and I decided to stop here…never expected to find such beautiful ladies in a place like this!"

Sakura sprang out of the water, clasping Rin's hand, "I'm her guardian and I'm going to guard her from perverted old men like you!"

"N-nice meeting you" Rin managed to fit in before Sakura pulled her through the door, leaving a disappointed Jiraya.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Woah, what happened to you?" Naruto poked at Sakura, as her lack of sleep had shown.

Sakura's hair was disorderly, sticking out every which way, and her eyes drooped heavily with sleepiness.

"I trust that everyone slept well?" Kakashi looked at the two girls with a wry smile.

"Yes, very well." Rin answered, giving a last look to the inn as they began to head off.

"Hey, it's the perverted old hermit!" Naruto announced, pointing over to Jiraya, who was leaving in the opposite direction, "I didn't know he was here!"

Rin and Sakura gave a quick glance to one another as the group headed over to where the old man stood.

"I was doing a search on sin for Tsunade, to find out where it is so that Konoha can be well informed."

"And…?"Naruto inquired.

"You should be very careful, in fact, you may wanna stay with me for a while…"

Naruto frowned, "You're not just saying that because our summoner is a woman are you?"

"Of course not!" Jiraya grinned, "Sin's just near the village hidden in the mist, so I'd try to avoid the temple for now if I were you".

"It's near t-the mist temple?" Rin gasped in disbelief.

"Maybe we should head somewhere else?" Sakura asked.

"No, we must go there…I won't let my friends be harmed." Rin stated, firmly.

"Alright!" Naruto clenched his fists, "Our first battle with sin, let's see some action!"

Sakura turned to him, "Naruto, do you honestly think we can fight sin _now_?"

"We'll do what we must, we have to follow our summoner," Kakashi directed them.

Rin spun around quickly with a bow, "Thank you for your information and concern!"

"No problem, if I was your guardian-"

"Thanks perverted hermit!" Naruto turned and waved as well as he ran to catch up to the rest of the group.

Jiraya frowned, "I really wish he'd stop calling me that".

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a/n: Alrighty, now we can get into some action…just had to add some info…next chapter I'll probably inform you more about sin's summoner -


	5. The Dark Summoner

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.

Spirit of the Guardian Ninja

Chapter 5: The Dark Summoner

A pale hand slid across the front of the corpse's face, shutting her eyes in the motion.

"And thus another summoner falls…," Orochimaru hissed, pleased.

"Lord Orochimaru…" a young man approached from behind, "Three summoners have fallen in this attack."

"Good, Kabuto…," Orochimaru's eyes narrowed into snakelike slits.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses before walking over to Orochimaru's side. His silvery hair reflected the faint rays of sunlight escaping from the clouds.

"We must destroy all of the summoners…"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru…then you will have complete control over sin," Kabuto answered, "but aren't you going to destroy the fayth too?"

"Do you doubt my intelligence?" Orchimaru shot Kabuto a poisonous glance, "The fayth are incapable of being destroyed, as demonstrated with your village temple…"

Kabuto nodded, remembering sin's attack on the hidden village of sound. The people of course, who had allied with the dark summoner, had fled the village long before the attack was made. The destruction of the village and its temple were just a test of sin's power. The fayth, while having no temple surrounding it, had not fallen.

"We will leave the temple standing, to lure the summoners," the summoner turned to his one guardian, "and when they come to receive the aeon, we attack…"

Orochimaru turned to look at his work. The village was completely destroyed, not a house remained. There was an eerie silence that replaced what used to be sounds of a prosperous, bustling town. The huge snakelike creature looked to its master for approval. Dark green scales shielded the beast from harm, and its slit translucent eyes reflected the havoc that it had caused. Sin had taken the form of this frightening snake creature.

"Come," Orochimaru commanded, "we have more business to attend to."

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It was just as Jiraya had said. The village hidden in the mist had been desolated. Nothing had been left standing. The group lay hidden in the forestry surrounding the remains of the village so that they would not be discovered. They caught a glimpse of the back of the snakelike sin as it headed off in the direction of its summoner.

"A snake?" Sakura whispered, "Sin is a snake?"

"This could mean…" Kakashi stared into the ashes of the village, "That snake, Orochimaru summoned sin...".

"Naruto, are you alright?" Rin turned to her young guardian, who was on his knees.

Naruto grasped his blonde locks, and fell to the ground. His eyes turned a deep shade of crimson red as he moaned in agony.

"Naruto!" Sakura ran over to him, "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know…"Naruto groaned, "I can't help it…"

Slowly Naruto regained his composure, his eyes back to their regular shade of blue. He had somehow felt drawn to sin, but didn't know why or how. The demon sealed within him seemed to react to sin's presence. He was partially glad that he wasn't the monster itself, as his dreams had begun to make him believe. It was reassuring to actually see sin.

'What was that all about…?' Naruto wondered as he slowly rose to his feet.

"You're alright now, Naruto?" Kakashi asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I should send them," Rin told her guardians, as she pushed her way through the brush.

"Send them?" Naruto followed her into the village.

"Yes, to the afterlife," Rin answered.

She began to raise her arms and perform a kind of graceful dance. It was lovely, but at the same time frightening. Her light red kimono glided through the air as she spun around. Everywhere the group looked they could see the spirits of the departed raising into the heavens to leave their once earthly life. Naruto never wanted to see this dance again, he didn't like it. The sending meant that many people had died.

Naruto clenched his fists as Rin was finishing her dance, "I never want this to happen again…"

"The sending is important…"Kakashi approached his student, "It leads the dead to the afterlife."

"I don't want sin destroying anymore places!" Naruto cried, "We have to get Rin to destroy sin as fast as we can!"

"It's not that easy!" Sakura argued.

Rin intervened before the two began to argue, "Let's go to the temple, perhaps it was not destroyed in the attack."

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Much to Rin's delight, the temple was left standing, just as she remembered it before leaving. A light mist blanketed the ground as they tread up to the large wooden doors. While being rather small, the temple was a magnificent, embellished structure. The triangular roof shone a bright cerulean shade, and the brass handles to the polished mahogany doors looked as though they were brand new.

An elderly woman with beady eyes opened the door to greet them. She embraced Rin as if she were her own daughter.

"Rin, I'm so glad to see you made it here safe!"

"Thank you, Hiromi," Rin smiled, "I'm also glad that you were not attacked."

"Yes, we were all so frightened that sin was so near to us…we thought for sure that is would attack-but that's all past us now-come in, come in!"

"These are my guardians." Rin announced as they made their way through the doors, "Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi."

"Ah!" Hiromi rushed over to each of them at their introduction, "Handsome, a beautiful warrior, and a cutie…" Hiromi pinched Naruto's cheek tenderly.

Kakashi and Sakura were left a bit dumbfounded at the compliments. Sakura turned a few shades pinker, while Kakashi just smiled politely, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck.

"Hey!" Naruto made a pouting face.

Rin laughed, "There's more to them beyond their looks…"

"Yes, of course there is," Hiromi grinned, "Please, make yourself at home while you're here."

"Stupid old woman…" Naruto muttered.

"Who is your first aeon going to be?" Sakura turned to Rin.

"My first aeon will be my friend, Yuzuyu," Rin replied, in a saddened tone, "She left as a summoner a year ago…and was caught in sin's attack far before she was ready…I'm sure she will agree to fight it along side me."

"Alright then, let's go!" Naruto charged up the stairs to the fayth's room.

"You can't go in Naruto!" Sakura scolded him, "Only a summoner can meet the fayth!"

"Sorry Naruto." Rin apologized as the door shut tightly behind her.

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a/n: ok then, review and tell me what you think so far -


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